


Distant wars, open wounds

by Maria_Antonina



Series: Under One Small Star [4]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Destroy Ending, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-07
Updated: 2014-07-09
Packaged: 2017-12-28 18:56:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/995362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maria_Antonina/pseuds/Maria_Antonina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaidan has the evidence, as well as a reluctant team and some pretty high hopes. Let the adventure begin.</p>
<p>"Distant wars" follows "Apologies to great questions" and I strongly recommend reading previous parts of the series first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The poem "Under One Small Star" by Wislawa Szymborska can be found [here](http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/under-one-small-star/).
> 
> The whole series has now been edited for both clarity and beauty by [mythicbeast](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mythicbeast/pseuds/mythicbeast).

_Forgive me, distant wars, for bringing flowers home._

_Forgive me, open wounds, for pricking my finger._

-Wislawa Szymborska, _Under One Small Star_

  
*

_“How did it go?”_

 

_Even slightly distorted through his omni-tool, Liara looked nearly as anxious as Kaidan had felt until an hour ago. He couldn’t help smiling, and at the sight of his expression the asari exhaled loudly in relief._

 

_“I’m back on the Normandy,” he said, unable to keep the excited note out of his voice. “Shepard’s signing over my transfer as we speak.”_

 

_“That’s-” she suddenly looked to the side, frowned, typed something on a screen he couldn’t see from this angle, then turned her attention back to him, as if nothing happened. “That’s amazing, Kaidan. It wasn’t the same without you here.”_

 

_“You’re just saying that because Shepard made you his go-to biotic without me,” he joked, one-handedly trying to squeeze all of his meagre belongings into a duffle bag provided by the hospital. Liara grinned back._

 

_“I admit, him and Garrus are a bit much to keep up with. But now that you’re back, I can sit back and focus on my- research, right?”_

 

_“Uh-huh. You’ll miss it as soon as I take over.”_

 

_“I’m sure I will.” Did she just use sarcasm on him? “See you in the lounge in an hour, then?”_

 

_“We have a lounge now?”_

 

_She cut off the comm with a smirk. Kaidan zipped up the bag and left, feeling lighter than ever._

 

*

 

“How did it go?”

 

Kaidan shook his head, willing away the beginnings of a migraine. Garrus hadn’t looked up from the datapad he was studying when Kaidan entered the room, but the barely-there flicker of the processing implant in his empty eye-socket betrayed that he was, indeed, paying attention.

 

“Depends which ‘it’ you’re asking about." Kaidan sat down at his desk, starting up a new report file. “UGF understood my concerns regarding the dead krogan we found in the Maze and the Broker’s involvement, so I’ve been granted a galaxy-wide free pass until my investigation is over.”

 

“Sounds good.”

 

“My ship doctor just resigned, though.” Chelles made it clear that lying in his report was the last thing he’d do for Kaidan and while he held the captain in high regard, he’d prefer to be transferred before he was ordered to dissect any more people.

 

“Smart guy. You’ve got another one, right? We’ll probably need a fixup.”

 

“I’m the next best medically trained officer,” he admitted grimly. “So yeah, finding another doctor is high on the priority list, along with reimbursing my pilot for the booze and getting James a hardsuit, and all that before we reach Tuchanka.”

 

“We could stop at the CDEM on Ruam for Vega’s hardsuit. Speaking of-”

 

“He’s bonding with my fire team in the armoury. Also, good point. I can place a requisition order there.”

 

They fell into an easy silence after that, Kaidan working on his report, Garrus familiarising himself with the ins and outs of Council Space that he’d missed over the last decade. _Karin_ was queueing for the relay jump to the DMZ, priority having been given to ships with busier destinations like the Athena and Silean Nebulas. It gave Kaidan the chance to brief his crew on those details of the assignment that were easier to swallow and promise Aelius proper updates once he was finished with the paperwork.

 

Eventually, he’d have to go and do that. But not before he found some living space for his guests, because there'd sooner be a snowball fight in hell than the three of them managing to live through being crammed into his private cabin for longer than a full cycle.

 

“How do you feel about a cot in the main battery? It’s got more room than the _Normandy_ used to. Less cannons.”

 

“Not for long, if I have any say in it.”

 

Kaidan took that for a yes. He took a few minutes to search out the Council Demilitarisation Enforcement Mission base on Ruam and send out a polite request for them to part with one of their extra-large heavy hardsuits, a small arsenal, and some dextro- and levo-food rations by the time _Karin_ arrived, thank you. Small chance they’d have time for a shopping spree, and Tahir was a pain in the ass about that Elysium vodka.

 

Granted, in contrast to James, Garrus had brought a lot of useful cargo onboard - even if half of it predated the Invasion and left Kaidan’s gunnery team in puzzlement. He had several sets of armour, one of them bearing a burn mark from when Harbinger tried to take them out with a Mako, about two dozen firearms in perfect working condition, and more dirty direct combat and e-war programs than UGF had classified in the last three years. One of them was his own design and was affectionately called Chatika, capable of hacking a hostile’s omni-tool to lock all the targeting on its own allies and, if given enough time, itself. Garrus claimed he couldn’t come up with a more annoying name at the time.

 

“Right," Kaidan sighed, closing down his finished report. “Let’s go make my XO think I’m insane.”

 

“Like he needs much convincing," Garrus deadpanned. It took him a moment to notice the way Kaidan was looking at him. “Wait, you want me to go with you?”

 

“He has an Archangel-themed omni-tool.”

 

“I don’t see how-”

 

“He’ll try to be cool in front of you, Garrus," he explained patiently. “Hopefully, that means he won’t report me to HQ just yet.”

 

*

 

Kaidan chose to debrief Aelius in the Q.E.C. room for a few reasons. For one, the thick walls and tech noise made it difficult for anybody to eavesdrop. It also gave Kryik sufficient pacing space and the impression that he could contact the higher-ups any time.

 

Garrus was still grumbling:

 

“ _Cool_ ,” he spat out on the way from the elevator. “How is that- how old is he again?”

 

“Yeah, yeah, kids these days” Kaidan waved it away. “We’re scheduled for a jump in two hours, we better sort it before I give my flight lieutenant all clear.”

 

“You expect _not_ to sort it?”

 

“Commander Kryik is the stubborn type.”

 

“Well, you seem to attract those, don’t you.”

 

Aelius was waiting outside the entrance - impatiently, if his overly rigid posture and the textbook salute he offered were any indicators. Kaidan had spent enough time with his XO to learn how to read him, and it wasn’t hard to tell that the young turian took a while to school his expression into one of professional disinterest.

 

“Commander.”

 

“After you, sir,” Aelius said, bowing slightly towards the open door. He gave Garrus the most formal of nods, to which the other turian responded with a bemused snort.

 

The Q.E.C. room was pretty spacious - Kaidan regularly held conferences with as many as twelve members of the headquarters at once in here. Sooner rather than later, he’d requested a small desk and a chair to be installed at the edge of the scanning field. Somehow, he reflected as Garrus and Aelius took positions at opposite walls, with the three of them in here the place felt even bigger.

 

“Before you start, general, I would like to apologise.” Kaidan’s focus immediately snapped to Kryik, who put his hands behind his back and tried to look relaxed. He wasn’t quite managing the trick, his mandibles twitching occasionally and, wisely out of sight, his talons undoubtedly clenching and unclenching. “At no point was it my place to question your judgement or- _insult_ your guests-”

 

“Commander,” Kaidan interrupted him. “Questioning my judgement is a part of your job description.”

 

“Also something you’d be insane not to do after you hear what he has to say,” Garrus added, lazy amusement evident in his voice as he leaned back against the wall.

 

“Pot, kettle, tank-man,” Kaidan snapped back. Garrus refused to take his armour off while onboard, and Kaidan had barely talked him into leaving his weapons in a secure locker. If anyone were to give a sanity lecture on this ship, he was the least plausible candidate.

 

Aelius looked from him to Vakarian and back, probably trying to work out how to react to that exchange. Kaidan wasrather formal ( _stiff as a corpse_ , Vega would say) on a day-to-day basis - even Tahir had eventually learned when to bite his tongue - but Garrus had a way of bringing out the worst behaviour out of him. For now, at least it was proving to be a useful distraction.

 

“I’ll keep this short and get to the point,” he said, before Kryik could manage to work through his confusion. “The krogan we had on board gave me certain data before his death. That, as well as evidence brought in by Garrus Vakarian, implies that the Shadow Broker is up to something we need to investigate.”

 

Another snort. “That’s _so_ not your point, Alenko.”

 

“That’s what important,” he argued. Garrus raised his brow plate at him, and he amended, “...In the grand scheme of things.”

 

“Lying with a straight face? I never thought I’d see the day-”

 

“Don’t push it, Vakarian.”

 

“Excuse me,” Aelius piped up. “That Shadow Broker thing had my attention there for a moment.”

 

They both looked at him at the same time, nearly causing the commander to take a step back. Kaidan pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing that he couldn’t avoid parting with more detail than he was comfortable with. Sooner or later, Garrus or James was likely to make a tactless remark that would plant more doubts in Kryik’s mind if he wasn’t properly filled in first.

 

“As you know,” he began slowly, still working out how to put it in words. “Captain Vega, Garrus and I served on the _Normandy_ together.”

 

“That’s common knowledge, sir,” Aelius replied, diplomatically.

 

“Some… information that made it into the vids and history books is not in the strictest sense correct.”

 

Garrus, as expected,  gasped theatrically.

 

“You mean Javik _wasn’t_ a wise old Prothean set on fixing the mistakes of his people?”

 

“There’s that,” Kaidan admitted, rolling his eyes. “On top of _that_ shocking revelation, our run-ins with the Shadow Broker had a bit more to them than we filed in the reports.” Aelius, always the smart guy, chose to resume his open stance and blink innocently, quietly waiting for the rest of the story before commenting.

 

Kaidan cleared his throat. “By the time the Reapers invaded Earth, the Broker was working directly with commander Shepard, in person.”  

 

He didn’t want to give too much away - Liara had a good cover-up for her position on the _Normandy_ , but it didn’t take much to get somebody suspicious enough to look for inconsistencies in her story. Adding that to her sudden disappearance after the war, it didn’t take a genius to put two and two together and start asking uncomfortable questions. Grunt and Bakara had been able to figure it out, after all.

 

“You’ve met the Shadow Broker,” Aelius said, thoughtfully.

 

“Yes. This is where it becomes a little personal.” By ‘personal’, Kaidan meant ‘increasingly difficult’. “The Broker was responsible for recovering Shepard’s body after the first _Normandy_ was destroyed. He was an important part of the team, not just on a professional level-”

 

“Kaidan,” Garrus cut in, sounding a bit more tense than before. “Cut the crap.”

 

He shot the older turian a dirty look. The intricacies of the _Normandy_ could be too easily misread without a proper explanation and he wanted Aelius to _get it_ before giving him the actual news.

 

“In that alley in the Maze, Grunt - the krogan - and I were attacked by the Shadow Broker’s wet squad in full force. Before that, Garrus’ organisation,”for a lack of better word, Kaidan thought, “had been subjected to similar, brutal attacks for quite some time. Right now, there’s enough evidence to suggest that these events are related, which is why I invited Garrus on board.”

 

“If I may, general- what _is_ the evidence?”

 

He couldn’t say it.

 

Garrus, James; they were something else. Whatever their reactions were, they wanted to believe that short vid Grunt had carried around as much as Kaidan did, there was no question about it. Aelius, on the other hand, was twelve when the Reapers hit Palaven. He had grown up in a world where Commander Shepard was more of a myth than a human being, and Kaidan simply couldn’t find words big enough to convey how he felt about this situation.

 

Well, that was sort of what Garrus was here for. The turian didn’t disappoint.

 

“My team discovered a colony of husk-like creatures north of the Maze.” Vakarian straightened his back as he spoke, his half-burned face twisting into a frown. “The Broker wants it covered up so badly she sent several murder squads after my men. They’re hunting us down like varren, all because my officer had the sense to contact me before she died.”

 

“How does that connect to the krogan?”

 

“Grunt was apparently in possession of data that Shadow Broker doesn’t want out,” Garrus shrugged. “But you’ll have to see it, and you’ll still call us crazy for going with it.”

 

Kaidan was already preparing the vid on his omni-tool; he could do at least that much. He nearly forgot to breath _again_ as it played, straining to hear more than see his XO’s response. Until presumably-Kasumi whispered _Shepard_ just loud enough for it to be caught in the recording, Aelius seemed rather non-plussed.

 

“Shepard? As in-?”

 

“He has more hair than on the holos, but yes,” Kaidan confirmed, eyeing Kryik warily for any signs of an extreme reaction. “I’d recognise him anywhere.”

 

“I presume you already took reasonable precautions to ensure this is not just a massive scam.”

 

“That too. But the fact that Doctor Chelles had to cut it out of Grunt’s spare stomach makes it feel pretty authentic.”

 

Aelius’ eyes went a little unfocused, the little cogs in his brain clearly running at double speed. Kaidan shot a worried glance at Garrus, but the older turian only shrugged and moved slightly so that the pistol attached to the back of his thigh was now visible. Sneaky bastard.

 

“Right,” Aelius responded, finally. “So… why are we _not_ on conference call with the whole Council yet? Have you informed HQ at all?”

 

“ _No_ ,” Garrus and Kaidan said in unison. Kryik blinked at them, perplexed.

 

“When it comes to certain… delicate matters,” Kaidan explained, haltingly, “the Council doesn’t have the best track record. UGF would take the case off my hands faster than you can say ‘personal involvement’.”

 

“What he _means_ is that they’d panic and run around in circles until the Shadow Broker catches wind that we’re onto her.”

 

Aelius narrowed his eyes. “That’s an awfully pessimistic view of our superiors, general.”

 

There was so much Kaidan could say to that.

 

A lecture on a Spectre’s autonomy, perhaps. Recollection of the long hours stuck in the Citadel dock before Ilos would probably distract the commander, too. The infamous Alpha Relay trial was now used as an example for young officers to remind them that, sometimes, you could get into some nasty situations trying to do the good thing.

 

None of that mattered, though. If Kaidan truly resented the authorities for all their faults, he wouldn’t have stayed in the Alliance after the Collectors’ hit on SR-1. Or said no to Shepard on Horizon. Or agreed to become a Spectre. Yet somehow, watching his commander trip over the red tape and have his words turned back at him by cowardly politicians, Kaidan had unconsciously taken to heart the one rule of Shepard’s military career - if you know your way is the right one, don’t ask anybody for permission. Not that Kryik would believe him, after serving under a model Spectre for three years.

 

Kaidan could try another angle, of course. He hasn’t spoken of his relationship with Shepard in years; people who knew about it would start prodding him to let go, strangers have seen _The Human of Titanium_ and Kaidan never felt like explaining. Now wasn’t exactly the best time, either, but Garrus and Aelius were both looking at him expectantly.

 

“You have to understand, Commander... Shepard meant- _means_ a lot to me.” There, he said it, his voice surprisingly stable. Aelius didn’t seem to have picked it up though. “I have lost him twice. I’m getting him back and nobody, _nobody_ will get in my way, be it the Council, the Broker, or whatever the universe throws at me this time round.”

 

He could hear Garrus forcibly closing his mandibles shut on whatever snarky comment he had ready. Aelius just… stared, his hands behind his back again, as if he was watching a curious chemical reaction rather than his CO trying to sound menacing.

 

“Alright,” Aelius sighed, after a moment. “What’s the plan, then?”

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

As the elevator door opened, Kaidan was greeted with the sight of half his crew gathered in a circle in the middle of the shuttle bay. At his side, Aelius made a surprised noise. They were cleared for a jump in less than an hour, everybody should be getting strapped in rather than shouting like overexcited teenagers at a school brawl.

 

“C’mon, that’s all you got?!”

 

Of course. _Of course_ Vega was responsible. Kaidan rubbed his eyes tiredly. He’d been up and running for nearly a full cycle now; he’d do anything just to have a nap. Instead, he was looking at a minimum of fifteen minutes just trying to disperse the crowd.

 

Aelius cleared his throat. Kaidan looked to him and saw a question in the commander’s eyes. A nod was was more than enough; Aelius nodded back and headed to the back of the room to discreetly scare people shitless by appearing out of nowhere, breathing down their necks. They’d be back to their jobs in no time. Meanwhile, Kaidan had an old marine to distract.

 

As he made his way through the crowd, several crewmen muttering ‘oh shit’ and running off to pretend they never took their five for half an hour, he could see exactly what was going on. Vega was mopping the floor with Lieutenant Domna, his hand-to-hand expert, in a mock fight, while the rest of the fire team and most of the engineers cheered and shouted out their bets. Domna was slightly taller, courtesy of being a turian, and tried to use her superior reach to gain one over her opponent, but Vega was too old a dog for such tricks, easily moving out of the trajectory of her attacks.

 

“Hola, boss! How did the talk go?” James didn’t even seem to consider stopping what he was doing. In three fluid moves, he caught Domna’s blow and threw her over his shoulder without so as much as breaking a sweat. “We ready to go?”

 

“We announced the order for our departure ten minutes ago.” Kaidan crossed his arms over his chest, while Domna stayed where she was on the floor, blinking up at him in a sudden realisation of how much crap she’d got herself into. “Which you would have heard, if you’d been paying attention at all.”

 

“Come on, man,” James wiped at his forehead, facing him with a broad smile. It would’ve been unsettling if Kaidan hadn’t been too exhausted to care. “Gotta have some fun now and then.”

 

“How about you knock this off, Vega. We’ll be underway to the relay in forty.”

 

“Forty minutes is more than enough time to give you a crick in the back, boss.”

 

James cracked his knuckles, his grin widening dangerously. The leftover crew members - Kaidan suspected those were the ones who were actually off duty, so Aelius couldn’t glare at them too much - watched as he assumed a loose fighting stance, clearly relishing in the attention.

 

“You must be joking.”

 

“What, you chicken, eh? Don’t wanna get a black eye in front of the kids?”

 

“Vega-”

 

“Come _on_!”

 

Kaidan uncrossed his hands and closed his eyes for a second. He couldn’t care less about the apparent blow to his manly pride if he refused to play; he had more important things on his mind. But he knew better than to expect James to just fall in line, and everybody was watching them now. Even Aelius stopped in his tracks, observing the exchange with an unreadable expression.

 

He sighed.

 

With a flick of his wrist, Kaidan slammed Vega onto the floor just hard enough to knock the air out of his lungs. With another, he activated a stasis field to keep him down for the required three seconds.

 

“Reminds me of an old discussion we had, back in the day,” he mused absently as James’ muscle twitched in vain attempt to break Kaidan’s biotic hold. “Reckon this would do as a tiebreaker?”

 

Vega pushed against the field so hard he sprung up with exaggerated force when it dissipated. He blinked owlishly a couple times, gathering his wits, then focused his eyes on Alenko. His scowl didn’t seem to bear any heat.

 

“You cheating blue _ass_ ,” he groaned. “That’s what you want to teach these impressionable young people? Where’s your sportsmanship?”

 

“Quit moaning and get your ass in a chair. We’re moving out.”

 

He could see Kryik suppress a smirk. The rest of the team just stared at him as he walked away.

 

Kaidan would be lying if he said he didn’t find it a _tiny_ _bit_ satisfying.

 

*

 

_Tuchanka never disappointed when it came to horrible weather and poor reception, and this time was no exception. Kaidan activated his barrier the moment he stepped out of the shuttle, if only to avoid getting sand in uncomfortable places._

 

_Since the sun had set about half an hour ago, it was dark, cold, and miserable. Kaidan had felt cold and miserable for years now and didn’t mind the weather too much, but the two Spectres guarding his back began to squirm in the strong wind. Jurrarskug was more or less a shallow hole in the ground where the ancient krogan performed complicated religious rituals - these days, it was the perfect spot to catch a bad cold._

 

_“I don’t think she’s coming, Alenko,” said the turian on his left. “It’s been nearly an-”_

 

_“I know how long it’s been,” he interrupted her. It definitely was long enough of a wait; if Bakara wanted to make a point, she was pushing it a little. Kaidan, however, had little to none left in terms of pride, or any emotion other than thirst. If she wanted to keep him up all night, so be it, even with his whining companions and the occasional tremor of a thresher maw in the distance._

 

_On Earth, it was late February, 2196. Ten years since the genophage hadn’t been cured. A little less since the only person with first-hand experience of what happened at the Shroud had been quietly smothered with a pillow-_

 

_“Alenko, you’re doing it again. Quit the fireworks.”_

 

_He didn’t apologise, but did tone the barrier down a  bit. Matriarch Atyana, who spent a very educational couple of months studying Kaidan’s biotics back on Earth, figured that through systematic - and somewhat creative - use, he had managed to weave the dark energy through his nervous system. More than other humans, at least. It gave him otherwise unachievable control over the power of his biotics, but also meant that using it under emotional duress could result in corpses that amused the coroners. It quickly became a source of jokes among the Spectres, starting with: ‘Kaidan Alenko had a bad day once…’ Humans called it PMS, although not to his face._

 

_“Movement at three.”_

 

_The asari Spectre whose name he couldn’t ever remember, despite meeting her on many occasions, raised her sniper rifle. Kaidan's eyes followed the direction she’d indicated, but between the gloom of the night and the omnipresent sand, all he could see was another set of craters around a hill._

 

_“We should find a better location. No cover here,” said the turian._

 

_“We are not here to fight.”_

 

_“Your optimism is inspiring, Alenko. I’ll be behind the shuttle.”_

 

_Merely a few years ago he wouldn’t have taken such an obvious act of insubordination so lightly - he was, after all, leading this little expedition. Fortunately, spending a good chunk of the last decade on mainly Council assignments had taught him that most of Spectres understood ‘team-work’ as something that happened to other people. Once you passed a certain body count, allies easily became just obstacles on one’s way to the next target._

 

_Kaidan never kept a body count. He didn’t want to end up like Garrus._

 

_“I’ve got them in range,” the asari said. “Five krogan. Too windy for a clean shot at this distance.”_

 

_“Shoot anyone and I’ll hide your body under the paperwork,” he snapped, finally turning around to her. The turian was long gone, but she could still hear him over the comm. “I’m trying to avoid genocide here. This is our only chance. A little cooperation on the matter would be_ deeply _appreciated.”_

 

_The asari stared at him - he couldn’t see her eyes through the visor, but the pure confusion that emanated from her was more than enough._

 

_“You actually believe that,” she stated dryly, lowering her rifle. “We’re here so the Council doesn’t look bad after this shitstorm. You’re here because that crazy Shaman will actually talk to you. It’s not that difficult to work out.”_

 

_Looking over his shoulder, he could now see the figures braving the craters in the distance. He didn’t have much time._

 

_“Get into the shuttle. Both of you, I want you gone.”_

 

_“What?” the turian’s voice cracked over the comm. “Are you insane?”_

 

_“I’m seriously considering throwing you off planet, if that’s any indicator.”_

 

_The asari started to say something, the tone of her voice hinting that she was about to doubt his biotics and their ability to throw anybody into orbit - he flared sharply before it went anywhere. Startled, she gave him an outraged huff before hurrying into the shuttle. Soon enough, the vehicle rose and puttered away, leaving him alone on a hostile world, about to face a group of angry krogan._

 

_A small part of his mind wondered if he shouldn’t feel- well, anything, about that. The rest of him braced for negotiations._

 

*

 

“Is all of this necessary?” James complained as three large krogan guards searched them thoroughly. “I thought you and the krogan lady were tight.”

 

“She doesn’t trust me further than she can throw me,” he said simply, earning an amused snort from one of the guards and Garrus alike. In the UGF’s early days, he used to be a regular guest in Bakara’s quarters, but after he had failed to convince the volus government to give Tuchanka an economic boost, Hackett - who was still on duty then - convinced him to take another assignment, claiming that he had to let the krogan do some of their own work.

 

Bakara didn’t take his backing out well, going as far as expressing regret that she had let him live back in Jurrarskug. Kaidan, in one of his smarter moments, decided not to mention that he had _let her_ punch him.

 

“So it’s true?” asked Garrus, who kept his fake Tarquin ID for the search and was currently posing for holo comparison. “You negotiated between the Council and Eve?”

 

“I convinced her not to take rash action in the face of many battleships orbiting Tuchanka at the time.”

 

“Very diplomatic.”

 

“Why, thank you,” he tried to hide the bitterness in his voice. It helped that the guard searching him was now shaking his head slightly, probably thinking them rude for talking as if the krogan weren’t there. A lot of people - well, the ones who met krogan at all - did it these days.

 

“You may go in now,” another guard said in a booming voice. “No funny business,” he warned, somewhat less formally.

 

Crossing the short corridor and entering Clan Urdnot’s main chamber, Kaidan discreetly sent a coded message to Aelius to let him know they had reached Bakara. He figured she’d manage their meeting easier with familiar faces around - or rather faces whose capabilities she was well aware of. He had no doubts she would try to take Kryik hostage if she panicked. Now that he thought about it, he’d need to make sure she recognised Garrus, too…

 

“Alenko. What kind of business could possibly bring you back to Tuchanka?”

 

Kaidan stopped at the foot of of a pile of rubble that made up a pedestal and stood straight, James and Garrus following suit, just as he’d instructed them. As his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness, he started to make out Bakara’s silhouette standing next to Wrex’s old stone throne. There were a handful of females seeking warmth by the big fire at the other end of the cave and a couple of derelict tanks blocking what used to be the main exit. This was how Kaidan had always knew the Urdnot habitat - the polar opposite of what it had been under Wrex’s care, at least according to what snippets Shepard had shared back on the Normandy.

 

“Not the funny kind, I’m afraid,” he said before he could stop himself. Unable to see Bakara’s expression, he waited for a sign to continue. She walked over to the chair and sat down, giving him a disinterested wave. “We’re here to deliver the body of Urdnot Grunt for proper burial.”

 

There was a rather ominous stretch of silence after he finished speaking. It lasted a good few minutes before Bakara sighed tiredly and beckoned them closer.

 

She didn’t change much - she had told him once that it would be another three centuries at least before she gave her last breath. _Plenty of time to find justice_ were the exact words. Her robe was the same midnight blue as well… probably the same robe, by the looks of it, a slightly worse for the wear symbol of what had once been a prosperous time in the clan. Of course, the armour underneath was the highest quality, or at least it used to be when Wrex had ordered it for her. Kaidan wasn’t sure him knowing of the fact was a good thing, seeing as the only other aliens who did were failed assassins.

 

“The body of Urdnot Grunt, huh?” she said. “Are you here to deliver another warning, then?”

 

“In a way” he agreed. “Although it’s a careful warning from a friend, this time. I don’t want to see you drown, Bakara.”

 

Both James and Garrus shot him quizzical looks; he hadn’t mentioned this bit in their rehearsal back in the shuttle. It seemed to fit now, though - another conversation they had over tactical maps that Kaidan wasn’t supposed to see and Alliance messages Bakara wasn’t supposed to overhear. Judging by the slight tightening at the corners of her eyes, she took the hint for what it was.

 

“Your companions…” she made a show of looking both James and Garrus up and down. “I remember the human. The _Normandy_ ’s pup. You were a child last time we met.”

 

Before James managed to open his mouth to respond - whatever he wanted to say, Kaidan wasn’t taking any chances - Garrus eased his stance into a proper parade rest and whistled that high-pitched, eardrum-busting turian whistle. If anything, it got everybody’s attention.

 

“Really, Eve? Has it been that long?”

 

As far as Kaidan knew, Eve and Garrus hadn’t seen each other since the Shroud collapsed. After two tours serving together on the Normandy, even he himself had barely recognised Vakarian, and wouldn’t have at all if not for his favourite one-liner.

 

“There was only one turian on the _Normandy_ ,” was the nonchalant response, and Garrus bowed deep in what Kaidan assumed was chivalry. No wonder nobody had picked up on his real identity over the years - some of his habits were overwhelmingly human.

 

“Always a pleasure.”

 

“It is good to see you alive, Garrus. We all thought you chose a _Jorenk_ death.”

 

“I’ll hope it means something badass and honourable, rather than ‘topped himself somewhere pretty’.”

 

James glanced at Kaidan like a schoolboy caught smoking, to which Kaidan rolled his eyes and ignored the other man completely.

 

“Quite the company you’ve brought me, Kaidan Alenko. I’m glad poor Grunt earned the most worthy of pallbearers.”

 

“His death was unnecessary.”

 

“We are all dying a slow death, here on Tuchanka. At least Grunt got to escape, if only for a little while…” Bakara’s voice trailed off into the darkness as she turned away from them. When she spoke again, it was nearly a whisper: “You shouldn’t have brought him back.”

 

“You shouldn’t have sent him off at all,” said James, the barest hint of disapproval in his voice. Kaidan had never really counted on the idea that either of his companions would keep their opinions to themselves, but for the benefit of the audience, he cringed.

 

The shaman graced them with a surprisingly feminine chuckle that suggested bared teeth, even with her face covered. James tensed slightly and even Garrus’ talons twitched towards his gun.

 

“Do not tell me,” she started low, her voice growing louder with every syllable. “What. _To_. _**DO**_.”

 

The echo came back to them from around the chamber four times over. Kaidan waited until it died out; once you learned how to deal with Bakara, the knowledge stayed with you for life.

 

“Sure seems like you could use some advice,” he said calmly. “Please. You know I’m not your enemy.”

 

“Do I, now? You bring back my only chance at justice, my last warrior, torn to pieces and I’m supposed to _trust_ you?”

 

She knew, then. Kaidan couldn't help but find it a little disappointing.

 

“You don’t really have a choice. Might as well listen to what I have to say.”

 

It took a few seconds, but eventually the krogan sagged in her seat - not quite defeated, but visibly resigned to her fate. She had been fighting for a long time now, yet as much as Kaidan felt for her, he had his own agenda to fulfill.

 

“We found the chip.” Silence. “Do you want to take us somewhere more private?”

 

The look he received could start a minor war in the Council chamber. Kaidan shrugged and waited for her response.

 

In retrospect, he should have expected she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Mythicbeast](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mythicbeast/pseuds/mythicbeast) was so kind as to clean this whole thing up. Working through the whole series we ended up adding quite a lot of detail to clarify the story - it might be worth having a look at the previous parts to see what's changed!

 

He could see the midnight blue of her robe retreating into the darkness and raised his hand to pull her back, but his vision swam and his body felt too heavy. The blow to his temple had sent him onto the ground, leaving him too disoriented to get back to his feet. There was some commotion behind him, too, shouted threats and warning shots, his barrier straining to deflect stray rounds.

 

“Kaidan! Kaidan, you alright?!”

 

“Goddamnit Alenko, move your ass, we’re losing her!”

 

For a guy in the heaviest of armours, Garrus could sure run fast. The turian sprinted off down the corridor and disappeared in the shadows. Kaidan heard a hiss as he tried to stand up to follow, then hands on his shoulder pushed him back down.

 

“I think your ass is better off here,” James offered, his worried expression still slightly blurry in the corner of Kaidan’s eye. “Teaches you to trust ‘em people, eh?”

  
*

_“Captain, the Pranas Relay is ready to receive us.”_

 

_“Captain.”_

 

_“Captain?”_

 

Kaidan woke with a start, his head reeling from the images still imprinted on the inside of his eyelids. Coming back every time he blinked.

 

_“Captain Alenko, I’m not your goddamned personal alarm. Wake the hell up.”_

 

“Language, LT,” he mumbled, hoping nobody else was present on the bridge when the pilot lost his patience. “Give me half an hour.”

 

“Whatever you say. It’s not like we’re in a hurry or anything.”

 

“Piss off,” he mumbled out, then added as an afterthought: “And cut the comm.”

 

There was a telling _click_ of Tahir disconnecting the intercom. Kaidan let his head fall back onto the pillow. As soon as he closed his eyes, he was back in that room from the vid, facing-

 

Goddamnit. The last time he’d started having nightmares, they hadn’t stopped for sixteen years. Last time he’d had one, he gave his mother a heart attack, earned a year’s worth of counselling, and was saddled with the most annoying pilot in the galaxy with strict orders to keep his cabin clear of certain substances. This was not the time to revert to having them again.

 

He wiped the sweat off his brow, careful to leave the bandage at his temple alone, and hauled himself up, heading for the shower. A quick glance at the clock told him they had waited for the response from the Pranas Relay a little longer than planned - which wasn’t surprising. The Salarians had made sure the Council had access to the Krogan DMZ without having to cross the Serpent Nebula. While their built-from-scratch relay was certainly a monument to their technological ability, it was also rather shaky and didn’t deal well with crowd management. Even with his Spectre pass, he had to wait for clearance to go through as the team on Sur’Kesh calibrated every little screw in the machinery to _Karin_ ’s specifications.

 

At least it gave him a few hours to sleep off the painkillers. Bakara had a very strong left hook and it was pure luck that she hadn’t crushed his skull on the first blow. By the time the second one came, his biotics remembered what they were there for. The barrier sprung up just fast enough to nearly cut off one of Bakara’s fingers and have her involuntary cry alert the guards - who in turn alerted James and Garrus that something was up by trying to shoot them.

 

Of course, all UGF would hear about was the ‘minor diplomatic incident’ that had seen both Kaidan and Bakara slightly injured and the krogan unavailable for communications for the time being. They were used to their captain coming out of meetings with clan Urdnot looking somewhat worse for wear. Hopefully, they wouldn’t request an investigation, or would simply ask him if she was alright.

 

“Any sight of that shuttle?”

 

Aelius looked up from his _Human of Titanium_ mug, something purple and steaming shimmering inside it. He hadn’t gotten any rest since their brief visit at the CDEM, staying in charge on _Karin_ while Kaidan allowed people to punch him in the face. It wasn’t showing yet, but the fancy turian coffee tended to be a treat rather than an energy boost and Aelius rarely broke it out on duty, especially in the common kitchen.

 

“The records show the _Krios_ shooting it down right before it reached the relay. Delaney overheard their comms; there wasn’t anybody alive on it. They’re also investigating a glitch in their systems that involved half a second long blackout.”

 

“She must have been planning it for a while.”

 

“Do you really think they made it out of the system?”

 

“I know she did. I plan to find out how.”

 

They stood there for a minute, Aelius sipping his drink and staring at the passing crew as Kaidan debated whether this whole thing was enough trouble yet. Finally, he settled on making himself coffee and deciding to blame everything on Vega.

 

“Why the Citadel, general?” Aelius asked, pushing himself off the kitchen counter to follow him across the crew deck and into the elevator. “I thought we wanted to stay well away from HQ.”

 

“We’re not going to the Citadel.”

 

Kryik’s plated face scrunched up a little in confusion.

 

“Weren’t you supposed to give a personal statement to the Council?”

 

“Yes. But my investigation took an unexpected turn and I had to go visit an old contact on Earth. Therefore leaving the Council to rely on a written report for now.”

 

“Devious.” There was a note of surprise in Aelius’ voice. “I’ll let you know how comfortable am I with it.”

 

“You do that, commander.”

 

*

 

_Kaidan was rewiring his armour to match his new omni-tool down in the cargo bay when Shepard’s voice came over the intercom._

 

_“Wrex, Vakarian, you’re the Therum shore party. Grab as much as you can carry and meet me at the Mako in fifteen. The rest of you stay ready.”_

 

_He couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. After Feros, Shepard had been riding him particularly hard. Kaidan started finishing his assignments with a headache more often than not, his implant firing up from constant use and muscles tensing at every loud sound. Apparently, every single goddamn thresher maw in the galaxy happened to live in the straight line from Attican Beta to Artemis Tau, as well as every single crazed scientist, every criminal with a grudge, and a few particularly unlucky pirate bands. Kaidan wouldn’t_ need _to keep his barrier up at all times if the commander would agree to take more people with him, but it seemed that keeping Normandy stocked up on painkillers and antiepileptics was cheaper than fixing Wrex’s armour._

 

_“That’s odd,” he heard from behind him. Turning around, he saw Williams arrive at the weapons table with what looked like Tali’s shotgun in her hands. “I thought you were his favourite.”_

 

_“I’m not complaining,” he said lightly. “A day off from geth seems like a plan to me.” She nodded unceremoniously, then put the gun on the table and took it apart faster than Kaidan’s brain could register that there was something he’d been meaning to say to her. Williams had wandered into the crew quarters when Kaidan was dealing with another hellish migraine. He never was at his most charming before the second dose of sumatriptan._

 

_“Chief,” he called out. She didn’t look up immediately, fishing out a charred part from the guts of the shotgun, but acknowledged him with a soft ‘mhm.’ “I’m sorry about before, I-”_

 

_“It’s alright, lieutenant,” she cut him off briskly. “I should have realised you’d rather be left alone.”_

 

_“Still,” he shrugged, a little uneasy with her flat, emotionless tone. “I was an asshole. I’m sorry.”_

 

_Williams finally seemed to react to his words. She put the part she was working on aside and straightened up to look at him properly, but at the same moment Wrex and Garrus spilled out of the elevator, betting loudly on what kind of enemies they would get to fight this time. Garrus put fifty credits on geth and Wrex snorted in disdain, raising the bet to two hundred. Kaidan exchanged nods with both of them and moved out of the way so they could access their lockers._

 

_“Finally, I get to shoot stuff that doesn’t fly around the room,” Wrex grunted in his general direction. He was more of an offensive biotic himself and found Kaidan’s affinity for lifting hostiles unbearable._

 

_“How’s your head, Alenko?” There was a trace of sympathy in Garrus’ voice, but Kaidan knew exactly what to expect from the turian by now. “You look like you had a run in with the bouncers at Chora’s Den.”_

 

_“I'm sure you'd know what that feels like,” he shot back. “Think you’ll find Dr T’Soni?”_

 

_“I think we’ll find enemies.” Wrex clipped an extra gun to his side. “Come on, Vakarian, put a move on it.”_

 

_Garrus gave a mock salute behind the krogan's back, turning it into a friendly wave when Wrex suddenly turned around. Kaidan shook his head, failing to keep the smile off his face, as they rushed to prepare the Mako, their guns and armour clunking noisily._

 

_“I'm sure_ they _’ll have fun,” he said, turning back to Ashley, only to find her walking off towards the elevator. “Williams?”_

 

_“Toilet break,” she replied stiffly, not even turning around._

 

_“What's up_ her _ass now?” Wrex asked, looking up from the Mako's outer shields panel, his face as unreadable as usual._

 

_“Shepard will be down here in a minute,” Garrus said dismissively. “They don't like being in the same room at the same time.”_

 

_Kaidan went back to his work, deciding it best not to indulge in gossip._

 

*

 

With a bit of luck, it only took, give or take, a galactic week to get from Tuchanka to Earth. The relays were better maintained than in the Terminus Systems, it was easier to plot a path through the non-gravity zones with the maps intact and up to date, not to mention that the amount of pirates fell significantly since UGF had taken over the space policing. Kaidan had even gone as far as notifying the transit stations at each of the three upcoming relays that he needed to book a place in the emergency queue. Even with a Spectre pass, that was pushing the rules a little bit.

 

Of course, that little bit of luck required was never even within Kaidan’s reach.

 

“The Barnard Relay is under maintenance,” said one of the junior pilots, his big salarian eyes blinking at Kaidan emotionlessly. The bridge had only just received the message minutes ago and clearly, he didn’t understand what had his captain so frustrated. Relays were under maintenance all the time, after all. “They can’t connect to Odin until the problem is fixed on both ends.”

 

“Right,” Kaidan closed his eyes and counted to five, slowly. At least Tahir was off duty. Thank God for small mercies. “How long is this going to take?”

 

“They predict thirty two hours, sir, but request patience in case of delays.”

 

Thirty two hours. Bakara would be another thirty two hours ahead, on top of all that time they spent waiting to get into the Annos Basin. God only knows how long will it take to FTL it to Earth from Arcturus Stream with the traffic there. They would lose another twenty four hours at least, more to get from London to Leeds and back, more if any of the Alliance officials clocked that _Karin_ had landed without a specific reason… She could be at the other end of the galaxy in a week and a half, and move again before he caught up.

 

“I need that jump ASAP, understood?” The salarian pilot saluted stiffly. “Notify me as soon as we have a confirmation. I want us at the top of that queue.”

 

“Yes, sir!”

 

Kaidan nodded. Turning around, he walked all the way to the elevator, took it all the way up, and waited until the door to his cabin slid all the way shut before he let out a string of curses a vorcha would deem inappropriate. For a few seconds, it seemed to make him feel better.

 

“Gee, Alenko. If I knew you’d mind…”

 

It only took him a fraction of a second to stop glowing blue, but Garrus noticed anyway. It was hard to say between the gloom of captain’s cabin and the turian’s scars, but he might have been smirking.

 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Kaidan asked, frowning. He had unofficially banished his guests from his quarters; there was hospitality, and then there was dealing with constant squabbling and one-upping in what was generally his personal space. Garrus had been given that cot in the main battery, an extranet terminal and a promise that his privacy shall be respected by the crew. In a way, it was like having Javik onboard again.

 

Yet here he was, perched on Kaidan’s couch. The already customised computer, mostly in parts but still somehow working, was sprawled on the coffee table. Garrus went back to connecting a cable from Kaidan’s terminal to it as he said: “You need to start locking the door if you don’t want surprises.”

 

“I _did_ lock the door.”

 

“Well, then,” Garrus shrugged noncommittally. “You might need a better lock.”

 

Kaidan gave up, both on the argument and on the concept of personal space. All classified information that he wouldn’t want Vakarian looking at required retina recognition anyway. He walked over to the office area to check the damage; it seemed that no lasting harm had been done to his equipment.

 

“Why, exactly, are you cannibalising my office?” he asked.

 

“I was going to override your ban on my requisition order,” Garrus admitted easily. Kaidan winced. Fourteen thousand credits worth of parts and materials on its own had corporal Lytanni go to Aelius for confirmation. Even Kaidan himself had to look twice at the list to realise it was supposed to come together as a detachable mini-cannon. _Your airlock is exposed_ , was Vakarian’s explanation. _And your shuttle doesn’t have enough bite, either_.

 

Kaidan didn’t admit to anybody that he had saved the list for future use. They couldn’t risk ordering anything from Earth or the Citadel, but such cannon would be small and easy enough to take apart in case of inspection, and there was little else he hated more than requesting additional firepower for _Karin_. The paperwork took forever.

 

“And failing that?” he said instead. The one-eyed glare he received told him that corporal Lytanni didn’t fall for the same trick twice.

 

“I tried downloading the surveillance codes, but it’s too well encrypted.” In Vakarian speech, that was practically a compliment. “So I’ve rerouted the entry point from your Spectre machine.”

 

“It’s not-” not that there was a point arguing about names. “Wait. Who are you spying on?”

 

“Only everybody who would try and contact the Council about our little adventure.”

 

While Garrus’ point would be valid in any organisation other than UGF, Kaidan didn’t worry about rats in his crew. Apart from Aelius, none of the crew members knew the details of their new assignments. Even if they somehow found out before it was too late, the Council didn’t just take calls from anybody - most of the time, they preferred not to know. Of course, they could contact HQ, which would be more problematic. Fortunately, reporting to HQ was strictly the command’s duty and again, only himself and Aelius had the comm pass.

 

Sometimes, bureaucracy and understanding of it made your life a little easier. Of course, trying to explain that to Garrus was a battle Kaidan refused to fight.

 

“That’s not something you need to worry about,” he said simply, knowing that it probably won’t even register with the turian. “Where’s Vega, anyway? He hasn’t bothered me in two hours.”

 

“Now _that’s_ something I don’t need to be worried about.”

 

“Just check, will you? You are in my surveillance system anyway.”

 

Garrus sighed, then waggled his talons for show before typing out a command into the terminal. Kaidan couldn’t see the screen very well from where he was sat, but he recognised the corner of an empty storage locker in the engineering. James chose it for his temporary quarters and, very clearly, wasn’t there. The images flickered from camera to camera for a few moments.

 

“Oh hel-lo.”

 

“Found him?” Kaidan leaned sideway to get a better view. Garrus stopped at the middle of the shuttle bay, where his marines were currently lined up doing push-ups. “Wait, that’s not in schedule…”

 

“That’s probably because Vega took over, look,” Garrus turned the screen so they could both see properly. Indeed, James was walking leisurely in circles around the group, his hands folded on his chest and back ramrod straight.

 

“What the hell is he doing?” Kaidan very precisely remembered asking James to leave his crew well enough alone, in less polite words. Just having him around seemed to make them act insubordinate. “And where’s- ah.” Lieutenant Domna, who was supposed to lead his marine detail, not just give it up for training to a crazed bodybuilder, was leaning back against one of the crates with her shoulders slumped. “Really.”

 

To his surprise, Garrus chuckled quietly. “Don’t be too hard on her. I’m sure she gets enough shit from her own men.”

 

“What do you mean by that?” Sure, _Karin_ ’s fireteam could be a rowdy bunch, mostly thanks to being left shipside ninety percent of the time. That was the reality of working with a Spectre, though, and Domna’s job was to keep them occupied.

 

“Uh, well,” the taloned hand waved at the screen awkwardly. “You’ve got mostly male turians and asari on that team. Our women have it pretty hard in the military as it is, without, you know.”

 

“Without what?” Kaidan wasn’t sure if he should be more intrigued or annoyed. In comparison to other human officers his age, he had superior experience when it came to dealing with a mixed-species team. He wouldn’t miss something important, for sure- but now, Garrus just looked embarrassed. “What’s wrong with her?”

 

“Spirits, there’s nothing _wrong_ with her. She’s just…” This might have been the first time Kaidan had ever seen Vakarian at loss of words. Without Tali around, at least. “She’s not very attractive, is all.”

 

Kaidan stared for a few seconds, then actually took a moment to consider this statement. Only to eventually throw all consideration out of the window and go back to his original reaction.

 

“Bullshit,” he said. Garrus bristled.

 

“I didn’t come up with it, alright?”

 

“That’s insane. Kryik would have... I worked with a female turian Spectre…”

 

“Yeah, was it Oracia? She used to model for an armour manufacturer, before the war.”

 

“I mean, how?” Kaidan was honestly lost. “Turians discovered FTL thousands of years ago-”

 

“What does it have to do with _anything_? I’m just saying ugly women have it harder- and now you’re making a face.” Garrus rolled his shoulders awkwardly. He seemed uncomfortable to discuss it. “Look, that’s just how it is. I bet it’s nice working on a multi-species ship, but some things won’t change that easily. Now, can we go back to wondering why is Vega training your marines?”

 

It was a fair point and though Kaidan wasn’t done arguing, he did reluctantly look back at the screen, where James was now standing over one of the asari privates. Possibly delivering an old-school Alliance dressing down, judging by the slightly horrified expression on the blue face. Now, that put Kaidan in an awkward position. Having spotted the situation, he should go down to the shuttle bay and deal with it like a captain ought to. On the other hand, Aelius was on the policing duty at the moment and it was technically his job to right any wrongs on _Karin_ for another three hours, at least. Then again, dealing with James Vega wasn’t in anybody’s job description.

 

Eventually, Garrus got bored of observing his indecision and broke the silence. “He probably thinks he’s doing you a favour… or something.”

 

“You don’t just go and train another man’s marines, Garrus. It’s weird.”

 

“He’s weird,” the turian agreed solemnly. “But I thought you knew that already. He’s been all over the place since we set off, doing that thing when humans go all-” He tried to demonstrate, squaring his shoulders, putting a menacing expression on and even growling for emphasis. With all the scars and the missing eye, it was a look every young human male could aspire to. “Don’t you grow out of it?”

 

“Evidently, Vega hadn’t,” Kaidan kept his reply light, but what Garrus what suggesting made strangely compelling sense. On the screen, James was helping a soldier back on his feet, the whole group laughing about something. “It doesn’t matter, though. His leave will be just about over by the time we get to Earth.”

 

Garrus flicked his mandibles, somewhat nervously. “I was under impression that he planned to extend it.”

 

“I already have one passenger incognito on board,” Kaidan gave Garrus a long look. It didn’t seem to make an impression. “I can’t have him go AWOL and have _myself_ investigated by Alliance.”

 

“So you’re just going to drop him there?”

 

Well, when put this way, it did sound a little harsh. Kaidan couldn’t help but shrug, though. “I don’t have time to deal nicely. James can catch up after he’d filled out his paperwork.” Garrus looked like he was about to say something more, but thought better of it. Before Kaidan could ask what it was, Aelius’ tall shadow fell over Vega’s back on screen. “At least that problem is sorted.”

 

Garrus didn’t answer. They watched in silence as the commander dispersed Vega’s little training session, then moved on to their other tasks. Kaidan, after brief consideration, decided against trying to get Vakarian out of his room.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this... took a while. Between edits and real life being a bugger, writing new stuff turned out to be incredibly hard. Hope you like it, though!


	4. Chapter 4

***

 

Going back to Earth wasn’t getting any easier with years. Kaidan used to believe that at some point he’d stop expecting the blues and greens, that the endless span of ashen clouds that covered his homeworld’s surface wouldn’t make him wince. But there he was again, seventeen years later, looking through the window in Starboard Observation and feeling exactly as hopeless and defeated as he had when _the Normandy_ left for Mars at the beginning of the Invasion. James had decided to wait for landing in his windowless room downstairs but Kaidan couldn’t stay away.

 

“At least it’s not burning anymore,” Garrus offered, rather unhelpfully.

 

That much was true. With considerable effort, what was left of the Earth governments managed to string together enough resources to avoid the nuclear winter, although living in higher latitudes did require wearing more sweaters that Kaidan was comfortable with. The average length of life also became significantly shorter the further away you lived from the atmosphere stabilisers, and the Alliance stopped building those some years ago to focus on rebuilding. London, Vancouver and Hong Kong seemed to benefit most from that decision - now people migrated there en masse in hopes of gaining access to better standard of living. Areas deemed low priority in the repair scheme had quickly turned into shanty towns, full of drugs, gangs and petty crime.

 

Yeah. Coming back was never easy.

 

 _“Permission to land received, sir,_ ” Tahir said over the intercom. “ _There’s a storm down there, might be a little nippy._ ”

 

“Advise the crew,” Kaidan turned his omni-tool on to contact Aelius. “Commander, have you finished the roster?”

 

The young turian’s voice crackled a little before clearing up in his ear - they must have been passing one of the denser clouds. “ _Yes sir. Everybody’s got their orders. A clean-up squad is already waiting to pick up our marines, Lytanni and Delaney have their shopping list and contact details of that doctor you wanted to interview…_ ”

 

“Good. Suit up, you’re coming with me.”

 

“ _General_?” Apparently, Kaidan just couldn’t stop surprising his XO. “ _Who will stay in charge of the ship_?”

 

He glanced at Garrus, who looked about as happy about this as Aelius was bound to be. “I’m sure sergeant Tarquin will do the job just fine.”

 

“ _Sergeant Tar- ah. I better go secure my weapons locker again. See you planetside, general._ ”

 

Kaidan suppressed a smirk. Aelius still had a hard time putting a bridge in his head between the legendary sniper Garrus Vakarian and the snide, aging mercenary whose guilt-ridden conscience kept him up at odd hours of the night, breaking into people's lockers for sport. Garrus, on the other hand, didn’t know how to deal with the badly hidden reverent stares and it clearly annoyed him, but no more than when Kryik's confusion came out with disdain on top. The forming tension between the two turians was, to Kaidan, more entertaining than a good thriller book.

 

"I can't do much without a credit chit, Alenko,” Garrus reminded him sullenly. "If you want this tin in top shape-"

 

"We can't afford the attention," Kaidan cut in. "You managed to build a small fleet right under Aria's nose. I'm sure you can work your magic with one frigate." Torn between the obvious want to boast about his accomplishments and the knowledge he was being played, Vakarian kept frowning but silent. “Of course, lieutenant Ashour will be _actually_ in charge. He will also try to make your life a living hell, just because.”

 

“Of course,” Garrus nodded. “This parody of _the Normandy_ wouldn’t be complete without an annoying pilot in tow.”

 

Kaidan closed his eyes for a few seconds. “No, I suppose it wouldn’t,” he sighed. The clouds were starting to thin out, showing the murky grey of the Atlantic and the shape of the British coastline. “I’ll go get changed. Make yourself at home,” he said to Garrus, moving to leave the room. If the turian replied, Kaidan didn’t hear it.

 

*

 

The landing pad was a little out of the way, north of what used to be Milton Keynes and was now a flat, dead expanse of mud and gravel. The stabilisers didn’t reach here, so the staff had spread out a little canopy to protect them from the rain as they waited for everybody to assemble. The rain wasn’t quite acidic, but would give you a nasty rash upon contact, and Kaidan’s biotics lit up automatically the moment he stepped out of _Karin_.

 

“Seriously, man, doesn’t it get embarrassing?” James gave him a wide grin, jumping from one foot to another as he tried to keep warm in the windy chill. “How did you ever complete a stealth mission when you light up like a luciérnaga for no reason?”

 

“By not wearing my Alliance tags out in the open,” Kaidan shot back. Vega shrugged, untroubled, but hid the tags inside his jacket before a young woman in overalls came close enough to notice. She seemed a little nervous, but whether it was because of Kaidan’s barrier or because of Aelius’ imposing height, it was hard to tell.

 

“Welcome to Milton Keynes, Captain Alenko,” she said, her voice surprisingly firm. “The Alliance shuttle is waiting for your marines in hangar F,” Kaidan took the datapad from her hands and signed off in appropriate places. “I can also arrange transport for the rest of your crew-”

 

“That won’t be necessary, thank you,” he cut in. “Is there any space left in that hangar? I was hoping to do some repairs while we’re here.”

 

“I- I will have to check with my supervisor-”

 

“Good. Communicate with my flight lieutenant.” He waited until the clerk left their immediate vicinity before turning to address his crew. “Everybody’s got their orders?”

 

Domna saluted, the marines huddled into a tight circle behind her to fit under the canopy. “Help with the clean-up effort, keep our heads low. Make sure captain Vega gets off at the right stop,” she said, not even blinking when James snorted at the last line. Kaidan then turned to Delaney, who just held up the datapad with the shopping list and gave a salute.

 

“Commander Kryik and I should return within twenty-four hours. If you are in need of assistance, contact lieutenant Ashour first,” he instructed, ignoring the small sigh that escaped Lytanni at the request. “Behave yourself out there, understood?”

 

A chorus of ‘Sir, yes sir!’ came out before each group’s respective biotic created a bubble for the rest to move out from under the canopy. Vega made a step to follow the marines, but Kaidan grabbed his arm a little harsher than intended.

 

“What’s up, L2?” James’ voice was lighthearted, but his eyes betrayed his suspicion. Kaidan lowered his voice to a whisper, aware that Aelius could still probably hear him.

 

“Don’t fuck around, Vega. You bring Alliance down on me, I _will_ make your life a living hell.”

 

All he got in response was an ugly smirk, then James pulled away sharply and hid under his jacket to catch up with the marines. When Kaidan turned around, trying to squash the slightly sick feeling in his stomach, Aelius was studiously looking at his own shoes.

 

The commander’s entire civilian wardrobe consisted of clothes that made him look like a teenager in an especially depressive phase. Kaidan had to give it to him though - nobody would ever suspect that he was an XO on a military vessel. “We ready to go, sir?”

 

“Yeah… let’s move,” he extended his barrier to cover Aelius, too. The thought of having to endure hours on public transport without the ability to use his biotics - no matter what James said, Kaidan could control them in such situations - was becoming less and less appealing by the minute. “Have you contacted Miss Nought for me?”

 

Aelius nodded. “She swears a lot. But promised to leave you alone.”

 

“That, commander,” Kaidan sighed, “is a huge relief.”

 

*

 

“So… your contact.”

 

Until now, Aelius had been quiet, apart from the usual conversation points to make it look like they were en route to visit friends in York. The train was still unbelievably crowded and Kaidan was beginning to regret refusing a shuttle - a journey that would normally take maybe three hours had already taken five, and they hadn’t even reached Manchester yet. But at least all the coughing, sniffing people around them seemed so engrossed in the misery spreading outside the windows that nobody paid any attention.

 

“She’s an old friend. Alliance-old,” Kaidan said simply. After their last talk on Karin, he didn’t know how much information was Aelius prepared to take. So far, he seemed to be faring well, but there would be a limit to his loyalty and Kaidan didn’t want to step on it too soon.

 

“From the _Normandy_?”

 

“I happen to have other friends in the Alliance,” he smiled at Aelius’ embarrassment. “But yes, specialist Traynor served on the _Normandy_."

 

"The comm officer?"

 

"Why, Kryik, you've done your homework."

 

"Knowing the vid by heart didn't get me into the officer training, sir," his voice held the slightest hint of reproach, but the turian was smiling. “I thought she was retired."

 

"She is. There's a reason why I haven't told her we're coming."

Aelius thought about it for a moment. “So when you said ‘ _friend_ ’...”

 

“We haven’t spoken in a while,” Kaidan had to admit. “I don’t think she keeps in touch with anybody. Maybe Tali.” Then again, Tali sent Rah’Kaddi Day holos even to Joker. Her heart - and the peculiar need to share the images of her children - was bigger than unanswered messages and hours-long comm delays.

 

“I’ve met her, once,” Aelius had this weirdly dreamy look on his face for a second. He shook it off quicker than Kaidan would have given him credit for. “My mother is an artist. She attended Hann’Adas vas Estra’s exhibition and Admiral Tali’Zorah was there, too.”

 

“You must have been pretty young,” Kaidan said after doing a quick calculation in his head. You could still see a number of quarians on their pilgrimage around alien worlds, but most of them kept to Rannoch - space travel took a long time these days. Too long, if you had a family.

 

“Seventeen,” suddenly, Kryik put on a suspiciously pleasant smile. “How long has it been since you’ve been seventeen, sir?”

 

Of course. It had been a while since the last ageist joke. “I can’t really remember, Kryik. It was somewhere between causing a major diplomatic incident and getting booted off Jump Zero, wasn’t it?”

 

“I wouldn’t know, sir. I think my parents were born around that time.”

 

Instead of his usual mild annoyance, Kaidan found himself chuckling at the comment. That wasn’t even too much of an exaggeration; he was now older than Anderson was at the edge of the Invasion, and they all had Anderson for an ancient son of a bitch.

 

“What should I know about specialist Traynor, then?”

 

“Professionally?” Aelius shrugged in an universal ‘will do’ gesture. “She’s brilliant at what she does, which is why we need her. She sees connections where even computers see static.”

 

“Confident, then.”

 

“In a way, I suppose. She most likely won’t shoot us, either, she was never a field agent.”

 

“With respect, sir, I’ll keep my shields on anyway.”

 

“She wouldn’t shoot you. You look underage.” Aelius pretended to bristle for a second, but something outside the window caught his attention. By the time Kaidan looked over his shoulder to see, the landscape was filled with just the charred skeletons of buildings again. “What was it?”

 

“A sign on a wall. Says we’re in Manchester now.”

 

A slightly bigger, better organised station was indeed coming up, and most of the passengers were shifting around, trying to locate the nearest exit or snatch a seat. Kaidan had never visited Europe before the invasion, but he could hardly imagine that there was ever a city here. North of the Greater London area, the rebuilding efforts were systematically trampled by the frequent acid rains and lack of sustainable resources. Apart from the station and its immediate surroundings, Manchester looked much like the Reapers have only just fallen the day before.

 

“Great. Another half an hour long break then,” Kaidan sighed. “I should have brought a book.”

 

“We could play a travel game,” Aelius merely flickered his mandibles at the suspicious look Kaidan shot at him. “Asari have this great one...”

 

*

 

Despite all the reassurances he gave Aelius on the way, Kaidan felt a little nervous. Every step they took through the Northern Europe’s nicest neighbourhood - makeshift stabilisers, clean sidewalks, distinct lack of bodies on the streets - made him recall yet another reason why Traynor might just shut the door in his face. He did his best not to show it, though, and answer Kryik’s many questions best he could.

 

“On Palaven, you can’t turn around without bumping into armed police,” the turian said excitedly. It took about twenty minutes of a walk to get anywhere near the living area from the station, because people here have rightfully assumed that keeping their belongings away from the only transport link in miles seemed to be a smart idea. “I haven’t seen a single gun since we’ve left the train.”

 

“And yet, if you so much as _sneezed_ suspiciously, you’d be full of holes within a minute,” Kaidan looked around again, making sure none of the passersby were paying them any attention. They have now passed through what was probably the town centre, judging by the amount of small shops and signs advertising services. Somebody even took the effort to clear out the remaining three floors of a skyscraper and turn it into a community centre. For all his scepticism, Kaidan had to admit he was rather impressed with the orderliness around here. Once they entered the living area, it was hard not to notice each part of scrap used to repair the tiny prefab houses was meticulously painted as to not stand out too much. Some hopeful individuals made an honest attempt at trying to maintain a lawn. The fences were all the same height and similar in colour. If not for the smog creeping onto the edges of the local stabiliser’s field and the ruins of what used to be Leeds in the background, one could easily mistake the place for a poor start-up colony somewhere in the Traverse.

 

“I’m surprised I haven’t heard about this place. It could serve as a rebuilding example virtually anywhere.”

 

Now, Kaidan was impressed, but he wasn’t naive. “Kryik, you do realise they have unofficial capital punishment here?” At the blank look he received, he could only sigh heavily. “They can’t spare resources for prisons or space in the hospitals for junkies. You only get to mess up once.”

 

“But what if-”

 

“Earth’s justice system has a long history of messing up, Kryik. You learn to look away.”

 

Aelius looked at him sideways, too young to give up, but too smart to be completely idealistic. “I guess that’s true everywhere in the galaxy,” he said eventually, his voice carefully neutral. “Are we on the right street?”

 

“It’s just around the corner.” They were a bit early; it wasn’t quite four o’clock yet and unless his intel was wrong - Kaidan wasn’t exactly making a point of recording Traynor’s working hours for the last decade - she would still be out. She seemed to have some kind of an office job these days, probably something involving the rebuilding efforts. Judging by what he could scrounge up of her nearly non-existent extranet activity, Traynor should be a lot better off than living in Leeds and dealing with whatever wannabe local government they tried to organise here. “There you go. Number forty-six.”

 

They stopped in front of yet another prefab house, looking exactly the same as all the others around it if not for the helpful number plaque on the door. The front yard was filled out with neat lines of pebbles that screamed of a very specific kind of personality, and definitely not Traynor. Now, Kaidan didn’t like to assume - on the _Normandy_ , even the worst assumptions were only good for getting unpleasant surprises around every corner. But if he had to take a guess, whoever had the time and the patience to bother with making pebble patterns in their yard would be his next problem.

 

“Pretty,” said Aelius, the amusement in his voice clearly directed more at Kaidan’s expression. “What now? Is she even home?”

 

“I hope not. That would ruin the element of surprise.”

 

“The wha-?”

 

Kaidan jumped over the fence. The gate was most likely rigged, anyway.

 

Traynor _probably_ wouldn’t shut the door in his face. She didn’t have to like him, but wasn’t like they’d parted on bad terms, either; if anything, it was Kaidan who had the grounds to hold a grudge. Still, he rationalised as he went to knock on the door, there was no such thing as too much advantage. Getting through that door before Traynor’s spouse figured out which way was up was _definitely_ an advantage.

 

He could hear steps on the other side of the wall; the curtains rustling. Kaidan was standing too close to be seen, but Aelius wouldn’t fool anyone for a random passerby. “Sam?,” came a tentative question. He knocked again. “Who is this?”

 

“UGF, ma’am,” he replied in his best official voice. Aelius, still slightly out of his bearings, fumbled for a second to show his omni-tool and the holo-badge. “Can we come in?”

 

“You must be new here,” the woman replied drily, “if you think I’ll let two armed strangers into my house, badges or not.”

 

Pebble patterns _and_ at least basic military training, if she could spot their pistols from behind a window. Kaidan made a mental note to update his personal database and cleared his throat. “If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t be knocking on your door,” he said, unable to completely hide his annoyance. “I’m here to speak to Traynor.”

 

“Well, she’s not in. Go away.”

 

“Listen-”

 

“No, _you_ listen,” the sound of the steps placed the woman on the other side of the door. “If you think you can-”

 

There was a blue flash on the door’s surface, probably a security peephole, and the voice behind it froze mid-sentence. Kaidan’s first instinct was to check for oxygen failure, before he remembered himself and his whereabouts. “Ma’am?,” he asked carefully, hearing the distinctive clicking of a code being punched into a keypad. His barrier was up before the door slid completely open, only to reveal a middle-aged woman with red hair and an impressive frown on her otherwise handsome face.

 

“ _You_ ,” she spat, crossing her arms on her chest as she leaned on the doorframe; the ring on her finger confirmed Kaidan’s suspicions. “Why would _you_ come all the way here?”

 

Kaidan frowned. It wouldn't be that odd if Traynor spoke of him, but the woman looked at him with an unsettling kind of familiarity. “I don't believe we have been introduced,” he said, deliberately dropping the 'ma'am'. At that, she snorted, then simply turned around and walked deeper into the house, leaving the door open. By old habit, Kaidan scanned the door for surprises – finding none – before waving at Aelius to follow him inside.

 

The house was, as expected, small but well organised. The front door led straight to an immaculately clean kitchen that connected to a dining-slash-living room. It was full of holos, carefully catalogued datapads, and tiny potted plants; Kaidan immediately felt out of place. The red-haired woman sat down in a worn-out armchair on the opposite side of the room, her face still scrunched into an expression of barely contained distaste.

 

“Sam will be home soon. I'd rather you wait here than where the neighbours can see you.” She relaxed into her seat, then pointed at the narrow sofa tucked in between the shelves by the wall. “Come on. You might as well get comfortable.”

 

The sofa was way too small for both of them and Aelius knocked his knees on the coffee table on the way down. Something about the way the datapads seemed to be organised by content _and_ model, together with the pebble patterns, made Kaidan think of colour-coded sock drawers, as if an incredibly distant memory was trying – and failing – to resurface. The woman could definitely see the struggle behind his blank stare, judging by the way her frown faded into a sad little smirk.

 

“Kaidan Alenko,” she sighed. “Never thought I'd see your face again.”

 

“I take it we've met,” he said slowly. There were a lot of people in the galaxy that he’d met in his life; remembering each individual was not exactly on the top of his priority list. Once, maybe. Not for years now. “Mrs. Traynor, I presume.”

 

“Always so old-fashioned,” she scoffed. “It's Allison. Allison Shelley?” She clearly expected some bells to ring, but only laughed at the thinly veiled confusion on his face. “I used to work in the Abbertan Clinic on the Citadel. Fixing amps for the diplomats?” A doctor, then. Chakwas' protégée? No, Chakwas had nothing to do with amps. And he definitely wasn't cooperating with any non-Alliance medical staff in his special ops days.

 

“Nothing?” she sighed again, but she didn't sound especially angry with his ignorance. Instead of following up, though, she stood up and nodded at Aelius. “Have you got your filters on you?”

 

“Always, ma'am.”

 

“Good. I'll make tea. You drink tea?”

 

Kaidan shrugged, making Aelius shrug with him whether the turian wanted it or not. Allison puttered around the kitchen without another word, leaving them to stew in the increasingly overbearing silence until Aelius couldn't take it anymore.

 

“If you don't mind me asking, ma'am?”

 

“Yes?” she allowed, not looking away from the kettle whistling on the counter.

 

“How do you know the general?”

 

Allison took three cups out of a cupboard, smiling in that sweet and dangerous way women smiled when they were about to put someone down. Hard.

 

“He left me hanging in the middle of the Presidium after I gave him the key to my apartment, then disappeared for a top-secret assignment and never called again.”

 

Oh.

 

Colour-coded sock drawers – and an alphabetised spice rack. A. Shelley, which seemed pretty funny at the time, not that he ever said anything out loud. Not that he said much of anything at the time. Kaidan could feel his chest go cold and ears heat up at the same time, acutely aware of how Aelius was gaping at him incredulously, a grin threatening to crack his mandibles.

 

“Huh,” he managed, not even attempting eloquence. “Small world, I guess.”

 

“Small world,” Allison nodded sagely, placing two steaming mugs in front of them. Her own was adorned with a large print saying 'Galaxy's Best Wife' and a cartoon cow. “So, what do you want from Sam?” There was this suspicious note to her voice again. “I know you haven't just dropped by to say hi.”

 

“Classified,” he muttered, leaning to the side so Aelius could reach into his pocket for a filter. Then, in a moment of brilliance, he decided to add: “Nothing that will require her to leave.”

 

“Good,” Allison said, too fast, her voice too high. “Good.”

 

The silence that came after was still awkward, but not overwhelmingly so; she didn't try to catch up or make jabs at his less gentlemanly moment in life, he didn't try to interrogate her about Traynor. It was going twenty past four and she shouldn't be too long, anyway. If Aelius twitched impatiently every now and then, well, it wasn’t like Kaidan wasn't used to it by now.

 

*

 

It spoke volumes of what Traynor's life looked like these days when she’d stepped through the door with a gun – not an Alliance-approved one, either – pointed at them.

 

“For God's sake,” she huffed, deflating in the doorway. “A warning would've been nice.”

 

“That would ruin the surprise,” Allison chirped, getting out of her armchair and to Traynor, kissing her on the cheek. She subtly put her hand on her wife's weapon, too, pointing it away from Aelius' face. Kaidan's stomach rolled a little at how practised the movement looked like. “Now, go sit down like a civilised person. I’ll make tea.”

 

Traynor put the safety back on the gun before storing it away in a compartment next to the door. She didn’t sit down and didn’t stop staring at Kaidan even for a second, as if he’d try to reave her the moment her guard dropped. He _might have_ put her in stasis last time they’ve seen each other, but to be fair, circumstances were a little different. Not that she knew he was here for a favour, and not to bust her for cooperating with Leeds’ semi-separatist local government. “Relax, Traynor,” he said, deciding to keep that card for later. “We come in peace.”

 

“Uh-huh,” she crossed her arms on her chest defensively. Her hair was lined with a lot more silver than he remembered. “Don’t try and be diplomatic, Alenko, it’s hardly a social visit,” she accepted a mug from Allison without ever looking away. “Why don’t you tell me why you’re here, so we can get down to negotiating the price.”

 

Kaidan couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes this time. “Very dramatic,” he said, extracting himself from his seat to stand up. It took a bit of coordination to navigate the narrow space between the sofa and the coffee table, but eventually, he managed to get in front of Traynor. “You want us to go somewhere private for this conversation.”

 

“We’re in private right here.”

 

“Alright,” he rubbed his eyes. He’d been travelling for nearly eleven hours and cramped into that damned sofa for too long; he didn’t have much patience left. “Break out your tech, we’ve got two people to find and I only managed to tag one of them.”

 

Traynor frowned suspiciously. “Don’t you have your Spectre toys for that?”

 

“I’m in no hurry to let the Broker know I’m after her.” He nearly left it at that, but her unconvinced expression made him drive the point forward just a little bit more: “Also, the HQ thinks Urdnot Bakara is still on Tuchanka, and I’d rather it stay that way for now.”

 

Traynor’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second, before she regained her control and moved to put more space between them, retreating to the kitchen to put her mug away. Kaidan noticed a chip on the rim, and how the tiles behind the cheap hotplate were most definitely salvaged from somewhere. On the other side of the room, Allison sat back down in her armchair, looking worried but curious, with Aelius almost mirroring her expression. When he turned back to Traynor, she was leaning on the counter looking resigned; she nodded at the turian questioningly.

 

“Is he… in, on all of this?”

 

“In enough. What about your wife?”

 

Allison snorted loudly. “I resisted selling those holos of you to the tabloids, I think I can hold my breath about _my wife’s_ business.” Kaidan’s stomach churned at the mere idea. He couldn’t tell if she was making a jab at the last time he had seen Traynor - in a production office, no less - or simply stating her trustworthiness. Oddly enough, he found it satisfactory; maybe because the threat of having his private matters shown to the public was long, long behind him.

 

“Let’s get to it, then,” Traynor busied herself unnecessarily clearing up the already spotless tabletop, then opened a drawer and removed the fake bottom from it. Who used fake bottoms these days? Kaidan could tell that most of the citizens here were cut off from what used to be standard technology, but even the least rigorous search would find a fake drawer bottom. Especially if they _were_ looking for an illegal omni-tool that should’ve definitely been handed in to the Alliance when Traynor retired. “What?,” she asked irritably, noticing his incredulous stare.

 

“How did you manage to keep it? _I_ had to disable mine and switch to the UGF’s own.”

 

“Well, _I_ didn’t burn all of my bridges before I left by being a drunk asshole all the time,” she said matter-of-factly, digging out what looked like an oversized computer hard-drive and hooking it up to the omni-tool. “Makes your life easier, when you don’t throw people into walls and break their arms.”

 

 _“One time_ ,” he groaned. “It was _one_ time, and you know he deserved it.”

 

“ _Brittle bone_ disease, Kaidan! You could have killed him!”

 

“And wouldn’t that have solved a lot of my problems,” he muttered, knowing it was a lost battle. She winced, but didn’t comment. “Look, regardless of where you got it, we’re talking a galaxy-wide search. Think you can do it without raising too many alarms?”

 

“Please,” Traynor snorted. “I won’t be giving you the Shadow Broker on a plate, but if you managed to tag Bakara, her signatures won’t be hard to pick out.” She paused, her hands hovering over the last set of cables she’d pulled out God knows where from. “Wait. How big is the audience?”

 

“For now? Myself and the Broker, assuming she knows about Bakara. Which-,” he shrugged. No point stating the obvious. “But we don’t want UGF, or anybody, realising there’s a search going on, in case that wasn’t clear yet.”

 

“Crystal clear,” she deadpanned, resuming her work. “Apart from, you know, why would the galaxy’s poster Spectre suddenly ditch regular channels.”

 

Kaidan didn’t answer, silently watching as Traynor finished setting up the smallest galaxy map he had ever seen, the omni-tool buzzing from the pressure put on its limited capacity. Technically, it shouldn’t work, and probably wasn’t all that Traynor had up her sleeve by a long shot. He had to admit, though, it was a great way to get the details down before doing the actual work somewhere that won’t make her home light up as a bright red target.

 

“Right,” she cleared her throat, realising that he had noticed. “Pass us the codes?” He fired up his own omni-tool, transferring both Bakara’s own signature, a long term investment in sneaky implants that has finally paid off, and what little he managed to scrub off the shuttle she had escaped in. “Whatever the second one is, it’s disabled. Why would you even-”

 

“She jumped transport, _somehow_. And having seen your magic,” she raised her eyebrows, “I’m sure you can figure out how did we not spot that the krogan, _a_ , have working space shuttles, and _b_ , one of them was just hanging around by the relay to provide a convenient getaway vehicle.”

 

“Without UGF realising all of that had happened right under their noses?” At his yet another shrug, Traynor closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. “Kaidan. What are you getting me into?”

 

Excellent question as it was, Kaidan decided to answer with what, he hoped, was a reassuring smile. Traynor made a face in response, then continued to sigh unhappily as she set up the preliminary search. Now, all he could do was wait.

 

***

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's alive!
> 
> Apologies for another long delay; I'd like to promise that it won't happen again, but, well. It might. Between losing my job, finding a new one, moving house and several other fun activities, inspiration hasn't been exactly plentiful. I won't be abandoning the series anytime soon, though, if that's any consolation :)


End file.
